Method of and apparatus for gluing sheets edge to edge



G. R. IVIEYERCURD.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR GLUING SHEETS EDGE T0 EDGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1920.

11161161 Nov. 15, 1921..

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

...NAW NMS OWN.

G. H. MEYERCORD.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR GLUTNG SHEETS EDGE T0 EDGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY8.1920.

1939)?9490 Patentd Nov. T59 1921.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. R. MEYERCORD.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR GLUING SHEETS EDGE T0 EDGE. APPLICATIONFILED MAY B', 1920.

1,397,489 mnteaNov. 15,1921n 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GEORGE R. MEYERCORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR T0 HASKELITEMANUFAC- TUBING CORPORATION, A COll'tPOlRATIONr OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF ANI) APPARATUS FOR GLUING SHEETS EDGE T0 EDGE.

, remise.

To alt whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. MEYER- ooRD, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, county of- Cook, State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of andApparatus for Gluing Sheets Edge to Edge, and declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accom anying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

In makingply-wood sheets of any considerable size it is necessary toformeach layer out of a plurality of pieces ari-an ed edge to edge, theseveral layers, after being built up, being then laid upon each otherand placed in the ress. Because of the necessity of thus handlingindividual completed layers and in order to produce a satisfactorylinished product, it is necessary that the abutting edges of theelements of each layer be effectively glued together.

Where the ply-wood is intended to be water-resistant, the glue joiningthe edges of the individual elements of each layer should bewater-resistant. For rapidity of production the best glue forthispurpose is that made of blood albumin which will set in avery short timeunder the influence of heat; it being sufficient, of course, that theheat be applied locally, that is simply in the vicinity of the jointwhich is being made.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novelmethod of and machine for gluing together the abutting edges of twosheets, such as wood veneering, in such a manner that heat and pressurewill be eficiently applied to the joint in order that the work may bedone expeditiously and effectively.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its object. andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

F ign-re 1 is a top plan view of a machine arranged in accordance with apreferred form of my invention:

Specification of Letters Patent.

porting rail;

Patented Nov. l5, i921.

Application led May 8, 1920. Serial No. 379,770.

Fig. 2 'is a side elevation of the machine:

Fig. 3 is an end View, on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the saine scaleas Fig. 3, the partsbeing in the same positions as in Fig. 3-

F ig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, the parts being shown in thepositions which they occupy when the machine is closed on the work.

Fig. 6 is a sectionl on an taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the upper heating element, on anenlarged sca. e;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through a modified form of supportingplatform or table;

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 7 showing a still further modification;and

Fig. 10 is a top plan View of a fragment of the table shown in Figs. 7and 8.

Referring' to Figs. l to 7 of the drawings, l and -2 represent two longflat bars lying parallel with eachother and having their upper faces inthe same horizontal plane. The members l and 2 lie above and are spacedapart from rigid supporting rails, 3; there being a series of coiledsprings, 4, between each of the bars l and 2 and the correspondingsupporting rail. In the arrangement shown, there are bolts, 5, fixed attheir upper ends to the bars l and 2, each bolt passing down through oneof the springs and through the underlying supthere being a nut, 6, onthe lower 'end of each bolt by means of which the springs are placedunder an initial tension so that they will not yield and permit the barstoI be depressed until a downward pressure of .a predetermined strengthis applied to the bars. rIhe rails are supported at their ends by asuitable stationary frame of which only parts of the two ends, 7, areshown. Across the tops of the bars l and 2 extends a plate, 8,preferably of comparatively tliin sheet metal such as brass; this plateserving as the immediate supporting surface for the work. Above the barsl and 2 are two rigid bars, 9 and 10, movably supported so that they canbe shifted in the vertical direction and also from and toward eachother. Underneath the plate between the bars l and 2 is a heater, l1,there being enlarged scale of ninety degrees t plate, 8,`be preventedfrom striking the side of the heating element or the inner face of oneof the bars and be arrested thereby. This may conveniently be broughtabout by making the heating element, 12, flat' on the bottom andproviding it with laterallyprojecting fingers, 14, -in the plane of thebottom; these fingers being long enough to enter notches or grooves, 15,in the `bottom upon the work, the bars being then moved toward eachother so as to tend to move the .i

so that the subsequent action of the movable j bars will move'the twopieces of veneer far enough to close the gap between them. When the workhas been clamped in the machine in the-,manner explained, the 'surfacesto be glued together will be held` in contact with each other underconsiderable pressure and,-

' at the same time, heat will be applied locally,

faces of the bars 9 ,and 10. This arrange'-l ment permits the bars 9 and'10 to move toward each other without producing what might be termed agap in the upper clamp* ing surface of the machine.

The bars 9 and 10 may be supported in any suitable way'which will permitthem to v be moved downwardly and inwardly from their elevatedpositions. In the arrangement shown, each of the two movable bars issupported at its ends by crank-like devices which, when turned throughan angle tions. As best shown in Fig. 6 there are rotary studs or stubshafts, 16, journaled inY and projecting through the end wall, 7, of

or less, shift the bars in` both the vertical and the horizontaldirecthe frame of the machine at the ends of Ythe bars 9 and 10. On theinner end of each of the members 16, and eccentrically disy'posed withrespect to the axis thereof, is a projecting p in, 17, which enters aslot, 18, in

, the adjacent end of the corresponding bar;

the slot being elongated transversely for a purpose to be hereinafterexplained. On the outer end of each of the members 16 is fixed anoperating handle or lever, 19.. The parts are so proportioned that when'the operating levers are raised into the positions shown in Figs. 3 and4, the bars 9 and 10 are held `raised above the 'plate 8. When theoperating levers are thrown outwardly ,and downwardly into the ositionsillustrated in Fig. 5, the movable ars are swung downwardly and towardeach other.

In using the machine, it is first opened by raising all four of theoperating levers, steam or any other heating medium being applied to theheating elements; two sheets of veneer or the like, whose edges are tobe glued together, are laid upon the supporting plate, 8, as indicatedat A and B in Fig. 4, after glue has been applied to the two edges to bejoined; and the operating levers are then swung down, causing themovable bars and the upper heating element to be lowered and aneffective union of the two pieces 'of j veneer.

The supporting plate, 8, is preferably made ,smooth while the bottomfaces of the movable bars are preferably roughened slightly as indicatedat 20, so that these bars will be capable of exerting a sufficienttractive ef' fort on the sheets of veneer to induce the latter to slideonthe supporting plate. The grip on the veneer should not be so strongas to cause it to be crushed. Furthermore, there should be a uniformdistribution of pressure throughout thel entire length of the veneerand, in case the adjacent edges of two sheets of veneer touch each otherat some points and not at others, it should be possible for slippage tooccur between the work and the gripping or clamping elements so as topermit gaps in the joint to be closed after contact has been obtainedbetween the `ing pins, 17, vfor these bars to play in trans--versely-elongated. slots instead of in simple round holes, there is alost motion between the actuating levers and the bars so that during thefirst part of the movement of these levers toward their releaseaposition, they do not influence the movable bars but simplyrelease thepressure thereon and permit them to let go of the work simply by a yraising of the forces left free to act when the restraining influence ofthe actuating levers is removed. This release of the grip of the movablebars on the work may be ,heating unit, l2,

. adjustable stops,

insured b means of the light leaf springs, 22, place between the sidesof the upper and the movable clamping bars which support the same; thesesprings serving to hold the heating element in a cen` tral position andat the same time exerting a gentle pressure in a direction tending tospread the clamping bars apart.

. The movable clamping bars are supported only by the pins which actuatethem, in the arrangementshown, and therefore it is desirable to providesome means to hold them in proper relation to each other and the rest ofthe machine. This may conveniently be accomplished by connecting -thebars together by means of a link, 24, lying above the same and pivotallyconnected at its ends, as indicated at 25, 25, to the barsy or tosuitable ears or brackets, 27, fastened to the bars. I

This device prevents the bars from tilting relatively to each other, butholds them upright and parallel with each other while permitting them tomove from and toward each other.

It may sometimes be desirable to permit the lower supporting bars tomove toward each other during the closing of the machine on the work.This may conveniently be accomplished, as illustrated in Fig. 8, bymounting such bars, as indicated at 30 and 3l, on the upper ends ofspring rods or strips, 32, which bendunder the influence of thediagonally-applied forces resulting from the downward and inwardmovement of the upper bars. Or, if desired, the two bars, as indicatedat 33 and 34 in Fig. 9, may be supported on the upper endsofswingingstruts, 35, so arranged that the bars tend by gravity to swingdownwardly and toward each other; the bars being normally held in theirraised positions by means of an intervening leaf spring, 36, whichpresses them upwardly and outwardly against suitable 37. A simpledownward pressure on these bars will cause them to swing downwardly andtoward each other. Where the lower bars are movable from and toward eachother, the work-supporting plate must be made otherwise than in the formof the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7.- The work-supporting platemay conveniently be made as illustrated in Fig. 10; being in the form oftwo plates, 38 and 39, having intercalated fingers, 40 and 41, whichmaintain the continuity of the supporting surface while permitting thebars to which they are attached to move from and toward each other.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, with a few simple modifications, I donot desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illus-Atrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangementswhich 'come within the terms employed in the definitions of my inventionconstituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine -of the character de` scribed, a fiat work supportyieldable in the downward direction under pressure, a clamping elementfor holding a sheet on said support, a second clamping element lyingabove said support, and actuating means constructed and arranged to movethe latter element up and down and simultaneously move it from andtoward the first clamping element.

2. In a machine of the character described, a work support having aheated zone, two parallel clamping bars lying above said support onopposite sides of said zone, a heating element loosely supported betweensaid bars above said zone, and means for moving said bars downwardlytoward said support and laterally toward each other.

3. In a machine of the character described, a vertical yieldable worksupport having a zone adapted to be heated, parallel clamping barsarranged above said support on opposite sides of said zone, a heaterlying between and supported by said bars, and means for moving said barsfrom and toward each otherland also from and toward said support.

4. A machine of the character described which consists of two pairs ofclamping devices, and means for closing said devices upon two sheets tobe glued together and simultaneously moving them toward each other.

5. A machine of the character described which consists of a flat worklsupport, a clamping element for holding the sheet on the support, asecond clamping element, and means for moving said second element towardsaid support and at the Same time along the same toward the other clamp.

6. A machine of the character described which 4consists of a Hat worksupport, a clamping element for holding the sheet on the support, asecond clamping element, means for moving said second element towardsaid support and at the same time along the same toward the other clamp,and a heater between said clamping elements.

7. A machine of the character described comprising a yieldable support,a clamping element for holding a sheet on said support, a secondclamping element lying above said support, and actuating meansconstructed and arranged to move the latter element up and down and alsofrom and toward the rst clamping element.

8. A machineof the character described comprising a yieldable worksupport, a clamping element for holding a sheet on said support, asecond clamping element lying above said support, actuating meansconstructed and arranged to move the one of said clamping elementstoward said support and also toward the other clamping element, andheating means in the zone between said clamping elements.

9. A machine of the character described comprising a flat work support,a clamping element for holding a sheet on said support, a secondclamping element lying above said Support, supporting cranks at the endsof said second clamping element, and means for turning said cranks so asto move the latter element up and down and also from and toward thefirst clamping element.

10. In a machine of the character described, two long iat parallelrails, springs.

beneath said rails for supporting the same, a heater arranged betweenand supported by the rails and having its upper surface flush. with thetops of the rails, two parallel clamping bars arranged above said rails,a heater lying between and loosely supported by said clamping bars andhaving a flat bottom adapted to extend downwardly at least as far as"the bottoms of the clamping bars,

and means for moving said clamping bars from and toward each other andalso from and toward said rails.

11. In a machine of the character described, two elongated parallelrails, springs distributed along each rail underneath the same tosupport it, a comparatively thin metal plate resting on said rails, ,aheater on the under side of said plate between said rails, andcooperating clamping and heating means arranged above said plate.

12. ln a machine of the -character dei scribed, two elongated parallelrails, springs distributed along each rail underneath the same tosupport it, a comparatively thin metal plate resting on said rails, aheater on the under side of said plate between said rails, parallelclamping bars arranged above said plate, a heater suspendedbetween saidclamping bars, and means for moving said clamping bars from and towardeach other and also from and toward said plate.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

GEORGE R. ME-YERCORD.

